Car end interlock



1940- J. P. GALLAGHER CAR END INTERLOCK 2 Sheets-Shee't 1 Filed NOV. 13, 1937 INVENTOR JOHN R GALLAGHER ATTOQNEY Jan. 23, '1 940. J. P. GALLAGHER 2,187,775

' OAR END mwaanocx Filed Nov. 13. 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN F. QALLAGHER BY 9/ ATILORNEY Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED 'jsT-ATEs PAT E"Nr; ,;};oFF c1:

om END INTEa ocn .John P. Gallagher, Jersey City.- IL, assignor, 13yv mesne assignments, to Standard Ra1lway.,.. Equipment Manufacturing Company, a ,corpo-f ration of Delaware Application November 13,1937, Serial No. 174,332 1 Claim. (01:105-410) vide a simplified, permanent, and more rugged construction at the four upper corners of a car construction than is "provided by known constructions; r 5

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved technique in fabricating car ends which will insure the subsequent accurate interfltting of the carend with its associated parts of the balance ofthe car structure, particularly with the side'plates, 'while avoiding the present practice of forcing distorted parts of the side plates, I end plates and roof to fit each other at the time thesecomponent units are assembled. V

It is the present practice in manufacturing steel cars of the box and similar type, to preform large sectional units as accurately as possible to their prescribed dimensions. Usually, the underframe is first formed, then ,the ar sides are swung into their upright position securedto the underframethen the car ends are swung into position with their corner post flanges disposed to the outside of the side .plates and the'endfplate flanges of. thecar ends located between the side plates and finally the roof, as aunit is .fitted over the open top box thus formed, as a tin can cover 'isfittedover its can. In actual practice, the assemblyoperation is not always so simple. The element which gives the most trouble is the preformed pressed steel car end. -It is the inter- 40 mediate member in the assembly between the oar sides and the roof andit must in'turn fit the car sides and the roof must fit it.- I

It has been suggested heretofore that opposite ends of the endplate flange be secured to the two side plates forming the upper elements of the car, sides. "For this purpose opposite ends of the end plate flange at the upper edge of the end plates of the car are downturned to provide an upstanding plate herein identified as a side plate flange which 'is riveted to the side plates. When .the step is reachedinthe assembly line to secure such known forms of 'car en-dto the side plates, it quite frequently happensthat one or both of these down-turned side plate'flanges are notin.the 'rightlposition to. fit snugly against their companion side plate; is due to numer ous causes.

Another factor which has heretofore contributed to the difficulty of such snug assembly of carend, side plates and roof is thatthe oar ends are formed'and stacked ready for feeding-to the assembly .;line as needed. The 'sideplate flange being simply a bent lip of not very extensive dimensions, isvery easily bent out of its initially'formed position between the time of its formationand the installation of the car end in its final position, and when such a-bent flange reaches the assembly'line it is the usual practice of the assembly-man to'hammer the flange back in position as best hecan by means of sledge hammer blows. This resetting of the flanges back into their initial position is crude as the assembly-man has no way of telling just where the fiangeshould be'located and dependence must be made upon the subsequent riveting operation in securing the flange to the side plate to more or less fix the parts in their intended relation. The most serious objection to this practice, however, is that time'is consumed in the interfitting of the parts on theassembly line. This practice seriously interferes with what'would otherwise be a speedy, constant,step-by-step progress of the workalong the assembly line and results in delays along the entire lin H Accordingly, an objectof the invention is to provide a car end in which the side plate flange element is permanently secured in the prefixed position in which it waszform'ed at the time the car end. is fabricated, andwhich flange will remain in its accuratelylocated position. through the assembly period and throughout the lifejof theoars With known forms of steel box cars of the type under discussion, there is a tendency for the carsides to bulge outwardly under the influence .Iof laterally shiftinglading in the car. In conventional forms of such cars, the. side plate is a Z-shaped angle bar, the inner upstanding flange of which is secured at opposite en-ds to the side plate flanges of the car ends andv the outer depending fiange of which is secured at its opposite ends to the corneripost flanges of the car end and is also secured between the corner post flanges to the sheeting forming the car side's. Lateral pressure against, the inner side: of the. car side sheetingtends'to swing the lower edge of the side plate outwardly about the hinge pro vided between the side plate and the two end plate flanges thus distorting; the car from its ini-' tial configuration and materially weakening the side plates.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a tying together of each end of the side plates to the end plates each in spaced relation to this hinge line, and in this'way prevent or at least tend to prevent the outward swinging or distorting movement of the lower edge of the side plates and incidentally to strengthen the car sides against bulging outwardly under the impact of shiftable lading in the .car and equally to resist any tendency of the lower edge of the side plates from swinging inwardly about this hinge line in the event of inwardly directed impact against the outer sides of the car.

Broadly, this aspect of the invention is attained by tying the end of the side plate flange nearest the end plate directly to the end plate so that the side plate flange becomes in effect a fixed part of the end plate irrespective as to whether the end plate flange is present or not. This may be attained in several ways as hereinafter explained in detail. For instance, it may be attained by forming a closed corner between the end plate, the end plate flange and the side plate flange, and which corner may be either an integral part of these elements of the car end or it may be an initially separate gusset accurately located on the car end and welded or otherwise permanently secured in its accurately set position as an incident of the fabrication of the car end.

In connection with the feature of accurately locating the gusset in position, the invention contemplates the utilization of a spacing jig or similar pattern form utilizing some bolt holes or other structural parts of the car ends as a point of reference for setting the jig to bring the side plate flange of the gusset quickly and accurately into the position which it must eventually occupy in order to snugly engage its associated side plates in the finally completed structure.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from a consideration of the method features of the disclosure and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one method of practicing the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel modifications of the preferred method and other features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view looking down upon one end of the car before the roof is in position and illustrating a car end constituting a preferred embodiment of the article aspect of the invention and illustrating a structure formed by practicing one of the method aspects of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the upper portion of the left half of the car end shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the corners such as the right corner of Fig. 1 and showing the connection between the car end of Figs. 1 .and 2 and one of the side plates;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the parts shown in Fig. 3 before the side plate is riveted to the car end;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view taken on the lines 5-5 of Figs. 1, 3 and 6;

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view constituting an enlargement of the showing at one side of Fig. 1 and looking down upon the detailed showing of Fig. 5; and

Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive illustrate a modified form of the closed corner construction illustrated in the preceding figures and features a corner gusset secured to the car end in accordance with another method aspect of the present disclosure to form an accurately locatedside plate flange; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the other half of a car end showing the parts in end elevation and showing in the upper right hand corner the gusset feature of this modified form; Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the parts shown in Fig. 8 and also showing the locating jig in position to locate the gusset; and Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 5 taken on the line Hll0 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the common parts of both forms of the disclosure, there is shown a pressed steel car end In with its usual corrugations or embossments ll above which is the relatively flat area I2 commonly designated as the end plate. The upper edge of the end plate is flanged inwardly to provide an end plate flange l3 sometimes referred to as the roof flange. Opposite vertical edges of the car end are flanged conventionally toform corner post flanges I4 and I5. Also following conventional practices in this respect, the upper portions of the corner post flanges are offset outwardly to accommodate a depending flange l6 of a Z-shaped side plate l1. Flange I5 is provided with rivet holes .l8 for accommodating rivets IQ for securing the upper ends of corner post flanges to the adjacent ends of the side plates. The upper outer edge of the end plate and the end plate flange are cut back from the adjacent corner post flange as shown in the several views. It is also conventional practice in forming the car ends to provide the same with sets of bolt and rivet holes some of which are shown in Figs. 2 and 7 to accommodate accessories and attachments usually applied to the ends of cars. Reference will be made specifically to a pair of such holes .20 and 2| (assuming Figs. 2 and .7 to show a complete car end) eventually used to secure a running board bracket in place and holes such as 22 and 23 in Fig. 7 eventually used to secure the roof in place. In one form of practicing the method of locating the gusset in place it was found convenient to utilize the centrally located holes 201and 2| as measuring points from which to space both gussets.

Referring particularly to the novel feature of this disclosure, it may be noted that it has been known heretofore to provide a down-turned extension from opposite ends of the end plate flange to form a side plate flange similar to the side plate flange 24 in Fig. 4, but having both of its short edges free, and usually with the edge nearest the end plate spaced from and thus disconnected from the end plate edge, corresponding to edge 25, at the inner side of the cut-away portion. In the prior devices, as in the present disclosure, the side plate flange 24 was secured to the upstanding inner flange 26 of the side plate I1. As noted above in the old form of freely movable side face flanges, there was a tendency of this flange to swing outwardly about the hinge line 21 formed between the end plate flange l3 and the side plate flange 26. structurally, the present disclosure distinguishes from the known structure by welding or otherwise securing edge 28 of flange 24 to edge 25 of the end plate by welding or otherwise forming the closed corner herein featured. An obviously similar and perhaps slightly better procedure is to bend flange 24 from the plane of the end plate [2 and weld along its top edge-to the end edge 29 of the end plate flange. It is also-suggested that a more preferred practice he to form the closed corner tionally formed in" pressed metal constructions.

In this preferred method flange 24 is formed coevally with the formation of the end plate flange I3 and the end plate l2. This is preferred to the cruder method above suggested of simply welding the edges as there can be obtained in the finished structure the accuracy of locating the flanges inherent in approved practices in steel die press operations.

Referring to the modified form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 7 to 10, it is. understood that the car end is formed conventionally without any side face flange preferably with the edges 25 and 29 cut back a little further than usual. As a separate operation, there is formed a onepiece pressing 30 constituting a three-sided gusset of the closed corner type. This'gusset includes a gusset plate 3| fashioned to flt under the adjacentend of the end plate flange l3 and otherwise conformed to permit an adjusting of the plate 3| in the direction lengthwise of the end plate flange to permit of an eventual welding of the plate to this flange. The gusset also includes two flanges extending approximately at right angles to each other to form a substantially rugged angle iron reinforced across its included angle by the gusset plate 3|. One of these flanges is relatively long and constitutes the side plate flange of this form of the invention. The other flange 33 is relatively short and. constitutes an abutment to fit against the inner side of the end plate just within the edge 25.

It is vitally necessary that the side plate'flange 32 be accurately located on the end plate in order to insure a snug fitting. of the end plate as a two side plates at opposite sides of the car.

I economic reasons these car ends cannot be cusreference to locate a measuring jig.

tom made and any car end of a particular order passing through the plant must fit, and accurately fit, any car. This necessity for accurate fit of any car end to any car structure is also necessary to provide a replaced end in case of accident so that a new end can be substituted for a damaged end without necessity of employing special technical assistance to make the replacement. It is therefore necessary that every gusset must be in the same position on its associated car ends as every other corresponding gusset on every other car end. In order to locate the side plate flanges advantage is taken of the accurate locating of one or more of the bolt holes punched in the plate in the act of forming the car end and using some selected bolt or rivet holes as a point of For this purpose a form of jig is carefully prepared as a gusset locating instrument. In the showing in Fig. 9, the two bolt or rivet holes 22 and 23 are utilized to locate a jig 34 which, as illustrated, is

simply an angle iron, one leg 35 of which abuts the end plate 32 and a pair of drift pins 36 and 377 are passed through the leg 35 and into the holes 22 and 23. The other leg 38 forms a stop, abutment or face flange which is exactly in the plane which will be subsequently occupied by the upstanding flange 26 of the associated side plate I1. With the jig in this position as shown in Fig. 9, the gusset is moved forwardly from the position shown andis quickly located with its side face flange 32 engaging the inner side of leg 38 and its flange 33 engaging the rear side of the end plate. When so located the gusset plate 3| is welded to the end plate along the lines 39 and 43, see Figs. 8 and 10. The jig is then; of course, removed and a rivet 3! passed through rivet holes 23 and 42 secures flange 33 to the end plate; Rivet hole 42 may be slightly enlarged to compensate for any minute shifting of the same relative to the rivet hole 23 in locating the gusset in position. It will be appreciated that with the side plate flange thus permanently secured in place at the time of the formation of the balance of thecar end, it will remain in its thus accurately located position even though the car ends may be knocked about in stacking them and in moving them to the assembly line.

These car ends are swung into position following conventional practices in this respect but With the assurance that there will be no necessity at this stage of the proceeding to sledge hammer the side plate flange 24 back into position or to distort any part of the side plate l2 or the corner post flange or the roof flange or any part of the roof in order to insure the necessary snugness of interfitting parts. The end plate is simply pushed into position, the rivets 43 located in the automatically aligned rivet holes 44 preformed in the side plate flange 32 and the holes 45 in the side plate. The parts are thus permanently fastened together without any necessity at the as sembly line of doing anything more than locating the preformed parts and riveting or bolting the parts together.

The preformed roof is then lowered into position following conventional practices in this respect with the assurance that the open top boxthus formed by the car sides and car, ends will receive the roof with the snugengaging of parts desired in such car constructions.

In the finished car, when in service, the side plates ll and thus at least to some extent the sidings of the car indicated at 41 in Fig. 1 are held from their previous tendency to bulge outwardly thus tending to preserve the car as a whole in its originally constructed configuration. Any

tendency of the lower edge of flange l3 of the side plates H to swing outwardly is resisted at opposite encls thereof by the resistance .to stretching of the entire mass of both of the end plates. Any

tendencies of the roof, or the roof flange to bend outwardly, are resisted by the gusset effect of the side plate flange which tends to resist bending along the transverse edge 46. In general, the construction tends to prevent relative movement of the corner forming parts along all of the closed angles at 25, (Fig. 3), 27 and 36, so that the disclosure particularly features an extremely simple, easily manufactured and mutually interbracing and interlocking construction at the four upper corners of the car.

The disclosure particularly features the providing of the rugged angle 58 formed between the end plate flange l2 and the integral side plate flange shown at 23in the Figs. 1-6 disclosure, or the gusset form of side plate flange 32 in the Figs, 'T-lO disclosure. With angle 48 closed it is, of course, not possible for the side plate flange to become accidentally bent out of place.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out in the annexed claim, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

In a railway car having a side plate comprising a horizontal Web and an upstanding inner part 19 and a depending outer part in combination with 

